This invention relates to vehicles with tiltable cabs.
In one known type of vehicle, usually a truck, a cab structure is mounted on the body structure of the vehicle for movement between a normal operating position and a tilted position in which access can be gained to the parts of the vehicle beneath the cab structure, usually the engine compartment. The cab structures for such vehicles are usually supported along one edge for movement about a pivot axis between the normal position and the tilted position, and one or more fixed supports are provided at positions radially spaced from the pivot axis for supporting the cab structure on the body structure when the cab structure is in its normal operating position. In addition to these supports, it is usual to provide a latch mechanism for retaining the cab in the normal operating position. Such latch mechanisms conventionally comprise a keeper attached to one of the structures and a latch member attached to the other structure and mounted for movement into and out of latching engagement with the keeper when the cab is in its normal operating position.
In one known arrangement, the latch mechanism includes a latch mounted on one of the structures and a keeper mounted on the other structure and the latch is arranged to make clamping contact with the keeper when the cab is in its normal operating position, so that the latch mechanism acts as one of the supports for the cab structure. This arrangement suffers from the disadvantage that, in use, the full weight of the cab structure bears against the keeper and causes rapid wear between the keeper and the latch member.